There are many reasons for learning a new language, whether it is for your career or for personal reasons. Some of the biggest benefits can be discovered when you put this knowledge to good use and travel to places where people speak the language.
Find More Interesting Places
Getting off the beaten track has long been something that travelers love to do. Rather than sticking to the well-trodden tourist routes around the most popular cities and beaches, there is a sense of exhilaration to be found in stumbling across lesser-known treasures. If you can speak the language to some degree, there is nothing to stop you from asking about places you might be interested in.
Locals all over the world are usually keen to help visitors find the best restaurants, the hidden beaches, and the other places that most tourists never get to see. You can avoid the organized tours and strike on your own if you prefer, hopping on a bus or a train to get to somewhere you might not have been able to reach otherwise. For instance, many have been to Italy, but if you can open yourself up from the generalities of visiting Rome or Milan you’ll find an abundance of things to do in Lucca, as well.
If you want to see how to learn a new language fast, you could start with one of the easier languages such as Spanish or French. 600 hours of studying should be enough for you to become proficient. Focus on the most common words and cognates that are similar to English words to get started rapidly and you can then start to plan your next trip with confidence.
Speak to More Locals
Being able to speak to the people who live there isn’t just about asking them where to go to. You can also feel more a part of the culture and enjoy things like their favorite sports and music. If you have ever read about the concept of slow travel and liked the idea, knowing the language is a crucial part of it. Slow travel can allow you to completely immerse yourself in the culture.
And if you have the time to immerse yourself in a culture, you are sure to find friends you can relate to once the language barrier has been broken. Foreigners who can speak the language to some degree can quickly feel part of the culture and feel at home, even if their language skills aren’t yet perfect.
Go to a bar or café or beach that is mainly filled with locals and you will probably end up speaking to someone or joining a group of friends. People tend to be keen to speak to tourists, but they are often wary of the fact that communication will be difficult if they try and start up a conversation.
Don’t Get Lost or Spend More Than You Need to
One of the big issues with travelling to destinations where you don’t speak the language is that you may end up getting lost or paying over the odds to visit tourist traps you don’t really enjoy. Tourists who need to speak English in a foreign country tend to stick to the same hotels and restaurants, whilst even taxi drivers may charge more if you can’t communicate with them.
If you can understand all of the signs and ask locals for advice, you should find that it becomes easier to get cheaper deals on a lot of things. For example, those little restaurants filled with residents will appear more attractive than the more expensive places that only have tourists in them.
You don’t need to spend years honing your language skills before travelling. Even a fairly basic vocabulary will allow you to get more out of your trips abroad.
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